tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82698475148523008612018-05-27T18:01:43.474-07:00The (Pro)Youth WorkerThere are far too few of those that walk along side the young people when they are struggling to figure out life. I want this blog to be a place to share experiences, frustrations, as well as hopes aspirations and resources for those who have given their lives to serve God and the youth.Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.comBlogger278125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-1037293037976771992013-12-04T11:12:00.001-08:002013-12-06T11:15:51.405-08:00A real story of transformation (Video)
Each year our organization holds a fundraiser to feature the work we do of connecting youth and transforming lives. I was honored to introduce a young lady named Zoe to the audience. Because you were not there I wanted to be sure you had the chance to hear what she said. I threw the camera up as we headed on stage so the quality is not the best, but the story is worth hearing. I originally metDanny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-17403453630158701122013-12-04T10:59:00.000-08:002013-12-04T10:59:37.862-08:00Some hope in ending exploitationSexual exploitation and human trafficking are a hot topic issue these days in the world of social justice. Of course it is nothing new. I was just reading an autobiography of a great Canadian artist named Emily Carr. In her book she referenced "White Slavery" which she encountered during her time in art school in San Fransisco in the early 1900's.
For me it is not just an "issue" but rather Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-953410477158707892013-12-04T10:33:00.000-08:002013-12-04T11:50:53.398-08:00What is the true spirit of Christmas? What is the true spirit of Christmas? The festivities? The feasting? The traditions? In observing my kids I’ve come to the conclusion that it is simply about anticipating the amazing.
I am often left disappointed with the season. I anticipate amazing things but end up with exhaustion and debt. A conversation with a young lady at our art club helped me remember what’s missing from Christmas:
IDanny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-56541619869927875962013-07-29T14:26:00.001-07:002013-07-29T14:27:13.367-07:00What does a Youth Worker do anyway?"What do you do for an actual job?"
That was the question posed to me over lunch with a member of my church after the service one Sunday afternoon. At first I thought that they were joking or had asked the question out of a automated list of questions that you are supposed to ask to fill in awkward moments. However, that was not the case. What made the question so shocking was that my job wasDanny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-21238977264387150292013-07-09T13:40:00.000-07:002013-12-06T11:10:20.513-08:00New ad campaign targets boys in the reality of teen parentingThe Chicago department of public health released a series of images that challenge the concepts of teen pregnancy being a primary issue of the female gender. In these ads, boys are depicted at various stages of pregnancy. As seen here:
Read more about this campaign by clicking on the image
Some people may be offended at the images, others sing their praises, but one thing is for sure - Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-16976128150251313682013-07-09T13:17:00.000-07:002013-07-09T13:21:15.466-07:00The new Facebook app that may save your life.Many young people that I have worked with have accused me of having some sort of telepathy skills. That is, that I have the ability to know what it is that they are thinking. While the thought of having some superpowers does sounds pretty cool, the truth is that the majority of my skill has been learned through experience and active listening. What that basically means is that when I am Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-70839938874120385302013-06-24T15:01:00.002-07:002013-07-29T14:29:46.036-07:00How to challenge youth effectively.
Learning to challenge young people can be tough. In this video by Lifeteams, my good friend and coworker Rob Snair talks about how a spelunking experience with some students illustrates some of the strengths and weaknesses we have in learning to challenge people effectively.
If you are a youth worker this is a much watch, however the advice is sound if you are a parent looking to help Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-11672392132149745652013-05-27T12:48:00.000-07:002013-05-27T12:50:50.394-07:00Body Image and Comic Books: Part 1
My fellow panelists and I at the Emerald City Comicon
The following post is part of an ongoing dialog among a team of professionals artists, youth workers and concerned parents addressing the issue of Ethics in Comic books. The words below are an adaptation of my notes from a panel I sat on at the 2013 Seattle Comic Book Convention. This annual event brings in more than 30,000 attendees eachDanny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-84289152619470947192013-05-21T11:08:00.000-07:002013-05-21T11:14:15.397-07:00Youth Culture News: Amazing Teen Wow's the Tech World
Since so much of youth culture news focuses on the negative (violent crimes, dangers and case studies) I wanted to take a moment to highlight one of the more endearing new released about a teen that not only wowed her friends and family, but the whole of the tech world.
Read the original news release here:
http://www.nydailynews.com/teen-gadget-charge-cellphone-20-seconds-article-1.1348948
Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-82118064395956287572013-05-21T10:53:00.000-07:002013-05-21T11:14:15.396-07:00Youth Worker Resources: Youth Worker CafeHave you ever heard of Larry Bumgardner? I hadn't until I read an article Journalreview.com titled:
Youth Workers gather to learn, network
Larry Bumgardner is a child therapist that was brought in by the Indiana Youth Institute to present at what was called a Youth Worker Cafe at a local library. If you have time to read the post, you should. It was affirming to hear why he belives that the Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-68080291640280455472013-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:002013-05-21T11:14:15.395-07:00Youth Culture News: Mountain Dew's Youth Culture Magazine
Every company that targets youth have come to realize that in a social media generation it is not enough to simply market to young people, you have to connect with them. As a result, it was reported by the advertising news site Brand-e.biz that the soft drink tycoon "Mountain Dew" has created an online youth culture magazine. You can read the original news release here:
http://brand-e.biz/Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-5207418618237486522013-05-21T10:16:00.000-07:002013-05-21T11:14:15.394-07:00Youth Culture News: 3 Questions About Body ImageThere is not doubt that body image is a huge issue for young people. If were honest with ourselves for a minute, we could take the word "young" right out of that first sentence. If that were not true than there would be no elective plastic surgery, breast implants or liposuction procedures. Some people have taken such issue with something that they do not like about themselves that it has Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-56205293166622064792013-05-13T20:31:00.001-07:002013-05-13T20:31:02.462-07:00Why does the world need Youth Workers?In the past year my eyes have been opened to many of my weaknesses. While introspection isn't a bad thing, it can sometimes feel overwhelming and exhausting. In the midst of all this I had a chance to have lunch with my former youth pastor. Even though I am in my mid 30's now - I still have a special place for a man that was willing to walk with me through the angst of adolescence. His Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-33160277391080212312012-10-22T14:13:00.001-07:002012-10-22T14:15:17.875-07:00Youth trust youth workers that trust themYou're not superman or wonder woman. At least I'm assuming that to be the case. Even if you were, I've read enough comic books to know that they have some seriously bad days. I do to.
Traditionally the early fall is a bit back for us as we slowly get
involved in the new pace of life of the students around us. This year
however we have been given so many opportunities that we have hit the
Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-85983234424679382322012-10-22T13:43:00.000-07:002012-10-22T13:43:01.977-07:00How thought has the power to save or destroy youthIn a recent discussion with a group of youth we talked to them about the power of thought. With the 60,000 plus thoughts that we generate each day, the overwhelming majority of them are negative. Which is not really a surprise to you as you read this. After all if you started cataloging all of your thoughts you would probably start to feel quite negative about yourself, the list you are Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-39373196446347484962012-10-22T13:19:00.001-07:002012-10-22T13:19:29.022-07:00How to think like a teenager. (not really).I have spent many years as a youth worker and before that I was a teen myself. I like to think that I am a relatable guy when it comes to youth issues.
However, the only real experts are the youth themselves. To prove this point I recently asked a group of youth workers what the following youth culture slang meant, they didn't get any right. Lets see how you do:
Is it a new product fromDanny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-76865380281695323582012-08-01T11:53:00.004-07:002012-08-01T11:59:24.279-07:00Choice: Hit the snooze or get out of bed!
A young man questioned me the other day about purpose.
He asked me, "Why do you get up in the morning?"
I think at some point in our life, each of us must come to grips with a question like this. What is it that we live for?
Life is hard.
Life isn't fair.
And to quote a scene from the TV series House: "Life is pain!"
At some points it is easy to ignore. At some points you don't care.Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-71395423351795250342012-07-27T10:08:00.000-07:002012-07-27T10:08:02.342-07:00What to say when you are asked "Where was God?"One of the most difficult things I have experienced in working with young people is watching them fall. I can think of one young guy in particular who asked me when he was elementary school how he could be involved in our student leadership team. After telling him that he wasn't old enough to join that team he walked away disappointed. Years later I have remained in contact with him, only to Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-65780525925188043202012-03-08T14:52:00.001-08:002012-03-08T14:52:45.513-08:00Help a Youth Worker Out
Hey,
Some friends that work at a website called Chimp have extended an opportunity to me that I had to share with you. As you may or may not know, all of the youth work I do is funded by people, like you, that believe that young people need someone to walk along side them as they try to figure out life. Just in the past few months here are some examples of the types of situations I have Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-72105949645098651852012-01-19T16:49:00.000-08:002012-01-19T16:50:44.880-08:00Exploitation A Reality Of Surburban Youth WorkAs a youth worker, my job entails the opportunity to intersect into the lives of young people wherever they happen to be. I spend time on the streets, in the parks, the alleys, the movie theaters, schools and local coffee shops.
Through this work I have encountered many things that I wish that I could unsee. This includes but is not limited to drug deals, suicide attempts, violent exchanges Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-74596806954547180512011-10-13T13:58:00.001-07:002011-10-13T21:05:10.830-07:00I was told, "Those kids are not worth your time." I responed, "thbbbbbb"If you have ever seen the movie, “Chariots of Fire” then you will remember the powerful line made by the Olympic Runner Eric Liddell struggling with his decision to take part in a competition being held on a Sunday, which was taboo in the Christian circles of his day. The quote goes like this:
I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.
Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-61839737968682181512011-09-27T11:08:00.000-07:002011-09-27T11:08:55.480-07:005 Ways To Go From Good Youth Worker To Great Youth WorkerI realized a long time ago that I do not have all the answers to being a great youth worker. There are so many other people that have traveled the path that are much better than I am. I am thankful for meeting people like Shae Pepper who has some suggestions for youth workers on what could move them from being good - to being great at what they do. Enjoy:
I have met some good youth workers Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-86414864625755720382011-09-21T13:33:00.000-07:002011-09-21T13:33:32.982-07:00Book Review: Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived The Church by Philip YanceyThe title of Philip Yancey’s book caught my eye. Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived The ChurchThere are lots of things that frustrate me about the intuition of church. The politics.The religiosity.The people.What I was looking for were some answers to how to deal with these issues, what the book was about the people that shaped Yancey’s faith and theology. This was greatly encouraging as I Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-30391157242846864812011-09-19T14:55:00.000-07:002011-09-19T14:58:45.124-07:00Success in youth ministry…is waiting on God
Some rights reserved by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region
In July, I introduced you to Rachel Blom who runs the website:
www.youthleadersacademy.com
She wrote this article that I think many youth ministry veterans can relate to, and need a reminder of: Waiting is hard. I hope you enjoy this post:
We had just started out in youth ministry in a church and we Danny Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626826438204735398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269847514852300861.post-66647209378961895042011-09-12T15:56:00.000-07:002011-09-12T15:56:41.131-07:00Can you encourage teens when you feel like scolding them?<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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